Scottish Executive

Boundary Walls

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-24572 by Mr Jim Wallace on 23 April 2002, whether he has received any letter from the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland making representations that the alleged rule of law stating that boundary divisions are held ad medium filum is unmanageable in practice, that on a day-to-day basis current practice in allocating rights and responsibilities uses the principle of common property pro indiviso and that the position resulting from this is such that this aspect of the law should be subject to a most serious and considered review.

Mr Jim Wallace: I am aware that the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland wrote to the Public Petitions Committee on 28 February 2000 on this subject, but have had no correspondence from that body.

Common Good Funds

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what rules and regulations apply to the operation of Common Good Funds held by local authorities.

Peter Peacock: Local authorities are bound by section 75, 93 and 94 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 in the operation of Common Good Funds. Particular funds may also have their own restrictions.

Common Good Funds

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what information is available to the public about Common Good Funds.

Peter Peacock: Section 101 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 provides that, at certain advertised times, any member of the public may inspect and make copies of a local authorities accounts and related papers, including the Common Good Funds.

Common Good Funds

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what mechanisms are in place to monitor local authorities' transactions in respect of Common Good Funds.

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether Common Good Funds held by local authorities are subject to statutory audit procedures.

Peter Peacock: Common Good funds are administered by local authorities and therefore fall within the audit of local authority accounts. The body responsible for securing these audits is the Accounts Commission for Scotland.

Common Good Funds

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the most recent figures are for Common Good Funds held by local authorities.

Peter Peacock: This information is not held centrally.

Common Good Funds

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what information is accessible to the public in respect of the £122,132,000 held by local authorities in Common Good Funds at 31 March 2000.

Peter Peacock: Information about the amount of monies held in Common Good Funds in Scotland is not held centrally. Any member of the public may, at certain advertised times, inspect a local authorities accounts and relating documentation including the Common Good Funds, under section 101 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973.

Crime

Miss Annabel Goldie (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it proposes to take in relation to the crime statistics which show that the total crime rate in Inverclyde was higher than the rate for Scotland as a whole, as reported in its Statistical Bulletin, Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2001 .

Mr Jim Wallace: Our Programme for Government set out the range of ways in which we are working to promote equality of opportunity, to eliminate deprivation and disadvantage and to make our country safer and our people feel safer.

  Funding for the police service is now at record levels, as are police numbers. The overall crime rate is at its second-lowest level in the past 20 years, police detection rate is at a post-war record and serious inroads are being made into tackling many different types of crime. Of course, there is more to be done. That is why we have set national targets. But, how those targets are achieved and how crime rates are tackled locally is primarily an operational matter for chief constables to decide in consultation with the local communities.

  In addition to the resources made available to the Chief Constable of Strathclyde Police, various other funding streams have been provided by the Executive. For example, we are investing £12 million over the next three years in a Community Safety Award Programme, to allow council-led Community Safety Partnerships to tackle local issues including crime reduction. For 2002-03, the Inverclyde Partnership has been allocated over £113,000.

Crime

Miss Annabel Goldie (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it proposes to take in relation to the crime statistics which show that the total crime rate in West Dunbartonshire was higher than the rate for Scotland as a whole, as reported in its Statistical Bulletin, Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2001 .

Mr Jim Wallace: Our Programme for Government set out the range of ways in which we are working to promote equality of opportunity, to eliminate deprivation and disadvantage and to make our country safer and our people feel safer.

  Funding for the police service is now at record levels, as are police numbers. The overall crime rate is at its second-lowest level in the past 20 years, police detection rate is at a post-war record and serious inroads are being made into tackling many different types of crime. Of course there is more to be done. That is why we have set national targets. But, how those targets are achieved and how crime rates are tackled locally is primarily an operational matter for chief constables to decide in consultation with the local communities.

  In addition to the resources made available to the Chief Constable of Strathclyde Police, various other funding streams have been provided by the Executive. For example, we are investing £12 million over the next three years in a Community Safety Award Programme, to allow council-led Community Safety Partnerships to tackle local issues including crime reduction. For 2002-03, the West Dunbartonshire Partnership has been allocated over £118,000.

Crime

Miss Annabel Goldie (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it proposes to take in relation to the crime statistics which show that the total crime rate in Renfrewshire was higher than the rate for Scotland on a whole, as reported in its Statistical Bulletin, Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2001 .

Mr Jim Wallace: Our Programme for Government set out the range of ways in which we are working to promote equality of opportunity, to eliminate deprivation and disadvantage and to make our country safer and our people feel safer.

  Funding for the police service is now at record levels, as are police numbers. The overall crime rate is at its second-lowest level in the past 20 years, police detection rate is at a post-war record and serious in-roads are being made into tackling many different types of crime. Of course there is more to be done. That is why we have set national targets. But, how those targets are achieved and how crime rates are tackled locally is primarily an operational matter for chief constables to decide in consultation with the local communities.

  In addition to the resources made available to the Chief Constable of Strathclyde Police, various other funding streams have been provided by the Executive. For example, we are investing £12 million over the next three years in a Community Safety Award Programme, to allow council-led Community Safety Partnerships to tackle local issues including crime reduction. For 2002-03, the Renfrewshire Partnership has been allocated over £147,000.

Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority annual report and accounts for 2000-01 will be laid before the Parliament.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority 2000-01 Annual Report was laid before the Parliament on 21 May.

Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it holds on the number of members of the Law Society of Scotland employed for the determination of applications for compensation by victims of criminal injuries in each of the last three years for which figures are available and whether any increase or decrease in the number of such members is expected.

Mr Jim Wallace: The following table shows the number of staff at the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority who worked in their professional capacity as members of the Law Society of Scotland during the three years 1999-2000 to 2001-02. The number of such staff is expected to reduce by the end of 2002-03 because of the reduced volume of outstanding non-statutory scheme cases in respect of which they are mainly employed.

  


1999-2000 
  

2000-01 
  

2001-02 
  



12 
  

9 
  

9

Disabled People

Mr Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-19667 by Sarah Boyack on 16 November 2001, when it expects the discussion paper on the review of the European Blue Badge Scheme of parking concessions for disabled people to be published.

Lewis Macdonald: The discussion paper was published on 14 December 2001 and responses had to be submitted to the Disabled Persons’ Transport Advisory Committee Secretariat by 15 March 2002.

Drug Misuse

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many drug-related deaths there were (a) so far this year and (b) in each of the last five years expressed per capita, broken down by NHS board.

Dr Richard Simpson: Data for this year to date and 2001 is not yet available. Data for 2001 will be available in July. The following table details the number of drug-related deaths in each NHS Board area for years 1996-2000 and the rate per 100,000 population.

  


Health Board 
  

Number of Drug-related Deaths 
  

Rate per 100,00 Population 
  


 

1996 
  

1997 
  

1998 
  

1999 
  

2000 
  

1996 
  

1997 
  

1998 
  

1999 
  

2000 
  



Argyll and Clyde 
  

18 
  

16 
  

23 
  

30 
  

31 
  

4.2 
  

3.7 
  

5.4 
  

7.0 
  

7.3 
  



Ayrshire and Arran 
  

3 
  

6 
  

4 
  

15 
  

20 
  

0.8 
  

1.6 
  

1.1 
  

4.0 
  

5.4 
  



Borders 
  

2 
  

1 
  

1 
  

0 
  

1 
  

1.9 
  

0.9 
  

0.9 
  

0 
  

0.9 
  



Dumfries and Galloway 
  

4 
  

7 
  

4 
  

7 
  

7 
  

2.7 
  

4.8 
  

2.7 
  

4.8 
  

4.8 
  



Fife 
  

3 
  

8 
  

13 
  

9 
  

12 
  

0.9 
  

2.3 
  

3.7 
  

2.6 
  

3.4 
  



Forth Valley 
  

0 
  

4 
  

2 
  

8 
  

4 
  

0 
  

1.5 
  

0.7 
  

2.9 
  

1.4 
  



Grampian 
  

29 
  

22 
  

26 
  

38 
  

31 
  

5.5 
  

4.2 
  

5.0 
  

7.2 
  

5.9 
  



Greater Glasgow 
  

90 
  

67 
  

93 
  

100 
  

104 
  

9.9 
  

7.4 
  

10.2 
  

11.0 
  

11.5 
  



Highland 
  

2 
  

3 
  

1 
  

7 
  

1 
  

1.0 
  

1.4 
  

0.5 
  

3.4 
  

0.5 
  



Lanarkshire 
  

11 
  

12 
  

21 
  

23 
  

29 
  

2.0 
  

2.1 
  

3.7 
  

4.1 
  

5.2 
  



Lothian 
  

58 
  

48 
  

37 
  

39 
  

37 
  

7.6 
  

6.2 
  

4.8 
  

5.0 
  

4.7 
  



Orkney 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  



Shetland 
  

0 
  

0 
  

1 
  

0 
  

1 
  

0 
  

0 
  

4.4 
  

0 
  

4.5 
  



Tayside 
  

24 
  

30 
  

23 
  

14 
  

14 
  

6.1 
  

7.6 
  

5.9 
  

3.6 
  

3.6 
  



Western Isles 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

1 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

3.6 
  

0 
  



Scotland 
  

244 
  

224 
  

249 
  

291 
  

292 
  

4.8 
  

4.4 
  

4.9 
  

5.7 
  

5.7 
  



  Sources: Drug related deaths: GROS Occasional Paper No. 5.

  www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/grosweb/grosweb.nsf/pages/00deaths.

  Populations: GROS mid-year population estimates.

Employment

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to improve work opportunities for carers.

Iain Gray: The Scottish Executive has no function in relation to unemployed people, including carers, seeking employment. The responsibility for assisting unemployed people into work rests with Jobcentre Plus.

  Carers are benefiting from changes to the earning limits for Invalid Care Allowance which mean that those who combine work with their caring responsibilities can keep more of their earnings.

Europe

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, following the First Minister's speech to the Committee of the Regions’ Commission for Constitutional Affairs and European Governance on 26 April 2002, what "greater role" the First Minister envisages for the Parliament in Europe and when this greater role will be outlined to (a) the Convention on the Future of Europe and (b) the Parliament.

Mr Jim Wallace: The reference made by the First Minister in his recent speech to giving national and devolved parliaments in Europe a greater role in the EU decision-making process is fully consistent with previous interventions on this issue. The point was included in the Executive’s formal response to the recommendation at paragraph 217 of the European Committee’s Report on the Governance of the European Union and the Future of Europe: What Role for Scotland? . The Executive believes that both sub-member state administrations and parliaments have an important role to play in redressing the democratic deficit which currently exists within the EU and it will continue to press this proposal through the many channels available to it. The Executive has already suggested in its joint submission with COSLA in response to the Commission’s Governance inquiry that the sub-member state level should be consulted on new Commission proposals at the pre-legislative stage, and might also be involved in the proposed subsidiary watchdog.

European Funding

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has spent its full allocation of EU structural funding.

Peter Peacock: Current estimates suggest that £18 million of funds from the 1994-99 European Structural Fund programmes were committed but were not claimed. This figure cannot be confirmed until these programmes are officially closed later this year.

Finance

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-23092, S1W-23093, S1W-23094, S1W-23095 and S1W-23096 by Mr Andy Kerr on 13 March 2002, why the Deputy Minister for Finance and Public Services stated on 23 January 2002 that it already receives benefits from Her Majesty’s Treasury because the rate of increase in council tax in Scotland is slower than the rate of increase in council tax in England and Wales and that it benefits directly "as a consequence of that money flowing north of the border from south of the border" ( Official Report , 23 January 2002, col. 5646-47); whether this statement was inaccurate, and, if so, when the Deputy Minister first became aware of the inaccuracy.

Mr Andy Kerr: The statement was not inaccurate. The principle of adjustments is firmly embedded in the Statement of Funding Policy. At the time the Deputy Minister spoke, we had agreed the adjustment figure for 2000-01, and were in the process of agreeing the figure for 2001-02, as his words indicated.

Finance

Alasdair Morgan (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which public bodies it has sanctioned public borrowing for under the terms of section 6.1 of Her Majesty’s Treasury's Funding the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly: A Statement of Funding Policy .

Alasdair Morgan (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much public borrowing it has sanctioned, or proposes to sanction, under the terms of section 6.1 of Her Majesty’s Treasury's Funding the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly: A Statement of Funding Policy in (a) 1999-00, (b) 2000-01, (c) 2001-02, (d) 2002-03 and (e) 2003-04.

Mr Andy Kerr: Public borrowing for 2000-01 to 2002-03 by certain statutory bodies is sanctioned in Schedule 5 of the annual Budget (Scotland) Act. There will be two further opportunities in the current financial year to amend the 2002-03 act.

  Borrowing for 2003-04 will be set out in the Budget Scotland Bill 2003 to be published early next year.

  1999-2000 was a transitional year and borrowing was sanctioned prior to devolution.

Fire Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria it will employ in the selection of consultants for work on each of recommendations 17, 19, 20, 22, 25 and 26 contained in The Scottish Fire Service of the Future .

Dr Richard Simpson: The appointment of external consultants will be carried out according to Scottish Executive procurement policy, which is published on the Scottish Executive website.

Health

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking in order to ensure that those working in the childcare sector are being advised on and protected against childhood diseases such as measles.

Malcolm Chisholm: Responsibility for occupational health and safety matters for staff working in childcare rests with employers, whether local authority, private or voluntary sector providers. Should an outbreak of measles or mumps occur in a school or a nursery, local public health professionals, in close consultation with education authorities, staff and parents, would initiate appropriate and timely action to control its spread.

  The childhood immunisation programme aims to prevent disease at the individual level and control or eradicate disease at the population level. As such, the Executive will continue to encourage high immunisation uptake, in order to protect the population as a whole. The Executive will also continue to work with health professionals to provide factual information to the parents of children due to be immunised, to allow them to make an informed choice for vaccination.

Health

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-21837 by Malcolm Chisholm on 28 January 2002, whether it has received any responses from NHS trusts, NHS boards and local authorities to its Scottish Needs Assessment Programme report on the needs of people with brain injuries; if so, from which organisations it has received them; whether it will make copies of any such responses available, and whether it plans to make an assessment of the impact of the report on the provision of services for people with acquired brain injury, Huntingdon’s disease and early onset dementia.

Malcolm Chisholm: We did not invite, nor have we received, any responses to the Scottish Needs Assessment Programme (SNAP) report mentioned.

  The Executive funds SNAP as a co-operative programme of work undertaken by staff from Scotland's Public Health Departments under the auspices of the Public Health Institute. SNAP reports review practice and service provision across Scotland, identified gaps and local effective practice, and make recommendations on how local services can improve their response to a particular condition. SNAP reports are therefore developed by Scottish Public Health staff to support their local work and it is local Public Health Departments, working in co-operation with their local partners, who are responsible for their implementation.

  We also continue to support a wide range of voluntary organisations committed to raising awareness, and offering support, care and information, to the care groups mentioned in the report.

Housing

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to record the (a) level of evictions for all types of tenure and (b) grounds for each eviction in order to facilitate policy analysis and whether any information so recorded will be published on an annual basis.

Ms Margaret Curran: The following information is collected about evictions in each of the two main social rented tenures:

  


Tenure 
  

Information Collected 
  

Frequency of Collection 
  

Data Collected Since: 
  

Latest Available 
  



Rented from Council 
  

Total number of evictions
Number of evictions on the grounds of anti-social behaviour 
  

Quarterly 
  

Both from the quarter April-June 2001 
  

July-September 2001 
  



Rented from Registered Social Landlords 
  

Total number of evictions
Number of evictions on the grounds of anti-social behaviour
Number of evictions for non-payment of rent 
  

Annually 
  

The first since year to March 1999
The others will be collected from 2001-02 
  

For total evictions:
Year to 31 March 2001 
  



  Information on evictions of private sector tenants is not collected centrally and we have no plans do to so.

  The latest available information on evictions in the local authority sector was published in the Scottish Executive Quarterly Housing Trends Bulletin HSG/2002/1, which is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (publication date 26 March 2002, Bib. number 20348). Information on evictions by Registered Social Landlords is held by Communities Scotland.

  In deciding on the regular statistical information to gather, maintain and publish centrally, the Executive consults regularly with suppliers and users of our statistics through established statistical liaison arrangements, and consultation on the annual Scottish Executive Statistics Plan.

Individual Learning Accounts

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-23526 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 12 March 2002, whether there has been any progress towards launching a replacement for individual learning accounts.

Iain Gray: I expect to make an announcement later in the year. I want to understand fully the lessons from the first individual learning account (ILA) programme and ensure that its successor builds on and improves on that scheme. It is still too early to say when a successor to ILAs will be introduced.

NHS Expenditure

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) actual and (b) projected health expenditure was or will be per capita in (i) each NHS health board area and (ii) Scotland in the years (1) 2000-01, (2) 2001-02 and (3) 2002-03 and (4) 2003-04.

Malcolm Chisholm: Details of actual and projected health expenditure per capita in each NHS board area for 2000-01 to 2002-03 is as follows:

  


Health Board 
  

2000-01
Per Capita
Funding
(£) 
  

2001-02
Per
Capita
Funding
(£) 
  

2002-03
Per
Capita
Funding
(£) 
  



Argyll and Clyde 
  

1,008 
  

1,075 
  

1,091 
  



Ayrshire and Arran 
  

973 
  

1,036 
  

1,080 
  



Borders 
  

994 
  

1,049 
  

1,069 
  



Dumfries and Galloway 
  

1048 
  

1,116 
  

1,146 
  



Fife 
  

898 
  

953 
  

988 
  



Forth Valley 
  

936 
  

984 
  

997 
  



Grampian 
  

919 
  

971 
  

987 
  



Greater Glasgow 
  

1,076 
  

1,156 
  

1,190 
  



Highland 
  

1,009 
  

1,101 
  

1,137 
  



Lanarkshire 
  

907 
  

988 
  

980 
  



Lothian 
  

927 
  

1,003 
  

996 
  



Orkney 
  

1,214 
  

1,228 
  

1,203 
  



Shetland 
  

1,285 
  

1,309 
  

1,245 
  



Tayside 
  

1,095 
  

1,207 
  

1,180 
  



Western Isles 
  

1,526 
  

1,612 
  

1,630 
  



  Notes:

  1. The level of per capita funding for 2000-01 has been calculated using the mid-year estimates of population at 30 June 2000, final cash limited/unified budget and actual expenditure for demand-led Family Health Services.

  2. The level of per capita funding for 2001-02 has been calculated using the mid-year estimates of population at 30 June 2000, final cash limited/unified budget and the indicative allocations for demand-led Family Health Services.

  3. The level of per capita funding for 2002-03 has been calculated using the mid-year estimates of population at 30 June 2000, allocations to date for unified budgets and the indicative allocations for demand-led Family Health Services. Further allocations will be made in-year.

  For 2003-04, the only figures currently available relate to the indicative initial unified budget and indicative allocations for demand-led Family Health Services. Additional allocations will be made for 2003-04 in due course. Details of currently available per capita funding for 2003-04 is as follows:

  


Health Board 
  

2003-04
Per Capita
Funding
(£) 
  



Argyll and Clyde 
  

1,149 
  



Ayrshire and Arran 
  

1,147 
  



Borders 
  

1,130 
  



Dumfries and Galloway 
  

1,207 
  



Fife 
  

1,050 
  



Forth Valley 
  

1,051 
  



Grampian 
  

994 
  



Greater Glasgow 
  

1,210 
  



Highland 
  

1,210 
  



Lanarkshire 
  

1,055 
  



Lothian 
  

1,000 
  



Orkney 
  

1,239 
  



Shetland 
  

1,268 
  



Tayside 
  

1,175 
  



Western Isles 
  

1,686 
  



  The per capita figures for 2003-04 take no account of the increased level of investment on health in Scotland following the Budget on 17 April and the First Minister’s announcement on 18 April. Details of how this additional money will be allocated will be announced as part of the outcome of the Spending Review in September.

  Actual and projected health expenditure per capita in Scotland is as follows:

  

 

£ 
  



2000-01 
  

1,053 
  



2001-02 
  

1,201 
  



2002-03 
  

1,307 
  



2003-04 
  

1,374 
  



  All Scotland per capita figures include expenditure by Common Services Agency, Scottish Council for Post-graduate Medical and Dental Education, Health Education Board for Scotland and other central SEHD expenditure as well as that in each NHS Board area.

Planning

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1O-5139 by Hugh Henry on 9 May 2002, whether it will give details of the six replies received, including from what individual or organisation each such reply was received.

Hugh Henry: Replies were received from South Ayrshire Council, Heritage Scotland Ltd (the applicant), Robert Drysdale Planning Consultancy (on behalf of the applicant), United for Heathfield (Ayr United supporters), Burness (representing AXA Real Estate Investment Managers UK Ltd, (the owners of an existing retail park) and you. As these views were requested in terms of rule 21(4) of The Town and Country Planning (Inquiries Procedure) (Scotland) Rules 1997 and the Scottish ministers have not completed their consideration of this matter, I am unable to divulge the contents of the submissions.

Planning

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidents police officers from Lothian and Borders Police Force have been requested to attend by (a) the Vehicle Inspectorate, (b) the Immigration and Nationality Directorate, (c) HM Customs and Excise, (d) the Department for Work and Pensions and (e) local authority social work departments in each year since 1997.

Mr Jim Wallace: This information is not held centrally.

Post Office

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are being taken to help post offices and, in particular, sub-post offices improve their competitiveness.

Allan Wilson: Consignia, post offices and postal services are reserved matters.

  Responsibility for business support services in Scotland rests largely with the Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise networks. Local enterprise companies provide assistance to businesses within their own geographical areas in a number of ways, including providing advice and support on improving business competitiveness. First points of contact are the Small Business Gateway in the Scottish Enterprise area and the Business Information Source in the Highlands and Islands.

Prison Service

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-24373 by Mr Jim Wallace on 22 April 2002, what the total number of suicides among (a) men and (b) women prisoners was in each of the last five years.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  


Year 
  

(a) 
  

(b) 
  



1997-98 
  

12 
  

1 
  



1998-99 
  

13 
  

1 
  



1999-2000 
  

17*


nil 
  



2000-01 
  

11*


nil 
  



2001-02 
  

9**


2 
  



  Notes:

  *FAI determination awaited on one apparent suicide.

  **FAI determination awaited on six apparent suicides.

Prison Service

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minister for Justice will reply to my letter of 22 February 2002 regarding Clive Fairweather’s comments in the intermediate inspection report on HM Prison Edinburgh.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The letter was replied to on 2 May 2002.

Prison Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average cost is of holding a person in prison for (a) a seven-day sentence, (b) a two-week sentence, (c) a one-month sentence, (d) a two-month sentence, (e) a three-month sentence, (f) a six-month sentence, (g) a one-year sentence, (h) a two-year sentence and (i) a four-year sentence, broken down by gender.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  The Key Performance Indicator (target) set for SPS for 2002-03 is to operate within an average annual cost per prisoner place of £33,800. Costs are not maintained separately by gender or sentence period.

Prison Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is any internal guidance to staff of the Scottish Prison Service on how to deal with parliamentary questions and whether any such guidance will be published.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  The guidance to SPS staff is the same as that used in the Scottish Executive, the current version of which has been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 21309).

Prison Service

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to S1W-25237 by Mr Jim Wallace on 3 May 2002, what assessment has been made on its behalf or by the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) of the internal SPS submission Constructing the Future prepared by Mr Eric Murch of HM Prison Low Moss on or about 21 April 2000.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  No assessment of Constructing the Future as a whole has been carried out. However, some of the information it contained was taken into account in development of the SPS Estates Review.

Public Transport

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to improve the integration of public transport services between Edinburgh and Dunbartonshire.

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive is supporting improved public transport links between Dunbartonshire and Glasgow which is a major interchange for bus services from Buchanan Street Bus Station or regular rail services to other parts of Scotland, including Edinburgh from Queen Street or Central Station. The improvements to the Dunbartonshire to Glasgow links include the Baillieston to Faifley Quality Bus Corridor, and doubling the frequency of rail services between Milngavie and Glasgow as part of the Larkhall-Milngavie rail project.

Public Transport

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what recent additional resources have been allocated to local authorities for investment in local transport.

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking in order to improve public transport in urban areas.

Lewis Macdonald: The Executive is fully committed to developing a modern integrated transport system for Scotland. The Executive’s record levels of investment are set out in the Transport Delivery Report, which highlights our key priorities for improving public transport, both urban and rural.

  The Executive has also recently awarded an additional £20 million in revenue funding to local authorities to tackle the backlog of repairs to local roads. This extra cash injection is in addition to an extra £70 million in capital allocations over the three years to March 2004 for local roads and bridges.

  Under the Public Transport Fund 79 projects are supported across Scotland with investment of £175 million. Through our rural funding schemes local authorities and Strathclyde Passenger Transport have received £15 million between 1998 and 2002. £4.7 million and £5.1 million has been allocated for 2002-03 and 2003-04 respectively.

Renewable Energy

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will institute a public inquiry to examine issues surrounding the planning application for the proposed wind farm at Whitelees Forest.

Lewis Macdonald: This application for consent under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 is currently the subject of consultation. Responses from the three local authorities concerned are still outstanding. It would be inappropriate to take any decision on a public inquiry before we have received and considered these and the other responses to the consultation process.

Roads

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the compulsory purchase order drafted in relation to the Invergarry to Kyle of Lochalsh Trunk Road (A87) Extension (Skye Bridge Crossing) Special Road Scheme Order 1992 (SI 1992/1499) was ever made.

Lewis Macdonald: The Invergarry to Kyle of Lochalsh Trunk Road (A87) Extension (Skye Bridge Crossing) Compulsory Purchase Order 1992 was made on 23 June 1992 and was recorded in the General Register of Sasines on 2 September 1992.

Roads

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much it spent on roads in (a) 2000-01 and (b) 2001-02 and whether the budget was underspent in either year.

Lewis Macdonald: Gross expenditure on the Motorway and Trunk Road Programme during 2000-01 was £202.73 million, which represented an underspend of £14.96 million. Details were set out in the Executive's Resource Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2001, which were laid before Parliament in December 2001. Figures for 2001-02 have not yet been finalised.

Scottish Agricultural College

John Scott (Ayr) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive why the student recruitment budget for the Scottish Agricultural College for the academic year 2002-03 has been reduced by 20%, given that student applications to the college fell by almost one third in 2001-02.

Ross Finnie: This is a matter for the Scottish Agricultural College.

Sport

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to make funding available in order to ensure that a Scottish ladies’ open golf championship will take place in 2002.

Mike Watson: The Scottish Executive supported the Ladies’ European Tour Matchplay event last year on a one-off basis in association with our bid to host the Ryder Cup in Scotland. It has no plans to support the event or any other golf event this year and presently has no plans to do so in the near future.

Tourism

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to review the area tourist board network.

Mike Watson: I am issuing a consultation letter today which begins an open three-month consultation on the future arrangements for the area tourist board network. The letter will be sent to all interested parties inviting them to contribute to the review. It will also be posted on the Scottish Executive and VisitScotland websites.

  Link to ATB Review Consultation Paper: 27 May 2002: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/consultations/tourism/areatourist.pdf.

Transport

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-24402 by Lewis Macdonald on 26 April 2002, what the expenditure on transport improvements will be to 31 March 2004, including schemes that have already been delivered, or will be delivered, but also including additional spending commitments arising from decisions taken after November 2001, (i) expressed per capita and (ii) broken down by each geographical area.

Lewis Macdonald: Additional spending commitments arising from decisions taken since November 2001, broken down by geographical area are presented in the following table. The table also includes revised total per capita spend on transport improvements to 31 March 2004.

  


Geographical Area 
  

Commitments 
  

Additional Spend
(£ million) 
  

Cost Per Capita
(£) 
  



Highlands and Islands
(including Northern Isles) 
  

Motorways and Trunk Roads
Freight Facilities Grant
Integrated Transport Fund
Piers and Harbours Grant 
  

4.2
0.289
3.75
4.943 
  

274.13 
  



North East Scotland 
  

Integrated Transport Fund 
  

1.185 
  

77.69 
  



Tay 
  

Freight Facilities Grant 
  

10.969 
  

111.55 
  



West of Scotland 
  

Freight Facilities Grant 
  

9.75 
  

125.34

Transport

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its definition of "immediately" was in regard to the extended park-and-ride facilities at Croy Station as announced by the Minister for Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning on 21 March 2002.

Lewis Macdonald: I refer the member to the answers given to questions S1W-25573 and S1W-25575 on 16 May 2002.

Victim Support

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive,  further to the answer to question S1W-24819 by Colin Boyd QC on 3 May 2002, whether the Victim Liaison Office in Glasgow provides a service to individuals covered by Dumbarton Sheriff Court in respect of each category of service.

Colin Boyd QC: The Victim Liaison Office based at the Procurator Fiscal's Office in Glasgow deals only with cases which occur in the Glasgow area and which fall within the categories dealt with by the Victim Liaison Office, as referred to in the answer to question S1W-24819 on 3 May 2002.